Snowplow



Oct. 16, 1928.

S. B. GILLIS SNOWELOW Filed Nov. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet R] u N INVENTOR y 45. 6/7/[5 BY $20M ATTORNEY Oct. 16, 1928. 1,688,009

S. B. GILLIS SNOWPLOW Filed Nov.l. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

SIDNEY B. GILLIS, OF ENUMCLAW, WASHINGTON.

SNOWPLOW.

Application filed November 1, 1926. Serial No. 145,630.

My invention relates to improvements in snow plows of a type primarily designed to be propelled by outside power, such as a motor vehicle, or the like; and its objects, generally stated, are, to provide a snow plow having self-contained means for elevating, conveying and discharging snow; and, to afford a device wherein a snow'defiector, cooperating with suction fans and flexible discharge pipes, will permit the snow to be unloaded not only laterally, but, if desired, it may be directed into suitable vehicles to be transported elsewhere, thus making the device especially useful in clearing snow from streets.

Other objects may appear as the description of the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of the device, one of the blades of a reel utilized in elevating snow being broken away to better illustrate certain parts disposed below the reel. a housing of one of the suct-ions fans being likewise shown to indicate the form and mounting of a blade of said fan, and the discharge pipes and supports therefor being indicated in cross section;

Fig. 2, an elevation of a portion of the structure, drawn on the line 22, of Fig. 1, designed particularly to indicate the course of travel of snow through one side of the device;

Fig. 3, a side elevation of the device complete; and,

Fig. 4, a detailed side view of a flexibly mounted scraper blade which cooperates with an endless snow conveyor installed in the de- Referring more particularly tothe drawings, the bed 1 carries at the front end a pair of upstanding supports 2 disposed in spaced parallel relation. and at the other end a rear frame, generally designated as 3. which is designed to bring this portion of the device up to a level so that it may be conveniently connected up with a tractor through the coupling denoted as 4. Said frame also serves as a support for a platform designated as 5. A pair of rear wheels 6 are rotatablv secured to the'frame. and a pair of front wheels 7 likewise secured forwardly of the bed. A steering wheel 8 and column 9. suitably supported and connected up with the drag link 10. as indicated in Fig. 3. are operativelv connected with the wheels 7. for steering the dewas.

A reel 20, fixedly secured to a shaft 21, is

rotatably mounted in the supports 2. As it may be noted in Fig. 1, said shaft is extended at one end, is journaled in an auxiliary support 22, and carries at said end a sprocket wheel 23. A brace 24 affords additional support for the reel. The reel is provided with a plurality of blades 25, which, when the reel is rotated, pick up and transfer snow to an endless conveyor denoted as 30. In the present embodiment of the invention, this conveyor is designed to have a canvas body and to be equipped with a plurality of transversely extending slats 31. 32 designates a shaft journaled in the device, having fixedly attached thereto a roller 33 and carrying at one end a sprocket wheel 34. Said roller supports the conveyor at the upper portion and is adapted to impart motion thereto, as will be hereinafter more particularly described. A shaft 35 and a roller 36, idling thereon, provide the lower supporting elements for the conveyor.

Located adjacent the intake portion of the conveyor and extending for the entire width thereof, .is a support 40. A plurality of scraper blades 41 for snow are secured to the support by the rod 42 extending through alternate sections of the support and blades which may be bent back on themselves to accommodate the rod, and thus provide a hinged connection for each blade with the support, as indicated in Fig. 1. A spring, denoted as 43, is secured to the support 40 and back of each of said last-named blades and imparts flexibility thereto when the blade is directed downwardly, and a stop 44 for each blade serves to limit its upward movement, as more particularly appears in Fig. 4.

A snow deflector 50, approximately in the form of a double share plow. is disposed above the conveyor and extends for about half the length thereof. As snow is carried up the conveyor it is diverted on either side to an opening 51 in a housing 52. each of which encloses a vertically disposed fan 53. 54 denotes a shaft journaled in and extending transversely of the device. and to which the oppositely located fans are fixedly attached. Said last-named shaft carries at one end a pair of sprocket wheels. designated as 55 and 56. Snow. through the action of the fans. is carried upwardly through the opening indicated by 57 in each fan housing and outwardly through a pipe 60 communicating with each of said openings. Each of said pipes is designated to be of flexible metallic construction and is secured to a mast ($1, a cross piece 62, extending between the masts, being provided for the purpose of giving greater stability thereto. A block and tackle, generally denoted as 63 and with which each pipe equipped, permits convenient manipulation of the same for unloading purposes.

In the present embodiment of the invention, an internal combustion engine ali'ords the power for actuating the instrumentalities installed on the device. 71 designates a clutch, "2 the power shaft from the engine, 73 a sprocket wheel disposed on one end of said shaft, 74 a countershaft, 75 a sprocket wheel disposed thereon, and 7 6 a pair of gears for imparting a reverse motion from said power shaft. all of said parts being operatively secured in place. as shown.

denotes a chain mounted on the sprocket wheels 73 and 55 for driving the fan shaft 54:, 81 a chain disposed on the sprocket wheels 56 and 23 for actuating the reel 20, and 82 a chain associated with the sprocket wheels 75 and 34, which, in connection with the reverse gears 76 and connecting mechanism, propels the conveyor in a direction the reverse of that taken by thefans and reel.

In operating the device, it is connected up with a tractor, or any suitable propelling power, through the coupling provided. \Vith the various installed appliances in motion and the device being moved forwardly, the blades of the revolving reel, which, it will be noted, are elevated somewhat above the road of travel, will force snow backwardly and on to the moving conveyor. The flexibly mounted blades, located adjacent the lower end of the conveyor and close to the road of travel, will scrape up snow left in place by the blades of the reel. The relative positions of the two sets of blades are such, as is best shown in Fig. 3, that it can be readily seen that as snow is forced by the reel towards the conveyor the residue scraped up by the flexibly mounted blades will become mingled with the snow handled by the reel, and practically all transferred to the conveyorthrough the joint action of said parts and the forward movement of the device itself. The last-named blades, while disposed close to the path to be cleared, ire designed, by reason of their flexible mountings to ride over any ordinary obstruction to their free action which might be in said path.

The snow, now having been brought 011 to the conveyor, is carried thereby to the deflector, which serves to divide the same into practically equal parts and. cooperating with the conveyor, aids in shifting it to the adj acent openings in the fan housings. The fans, revolving in a direction the reverse of that attained by the conveyor and revolving much more rapidly, through the sprocket connections provided for them, will cause a partial vacuum and produce a suction effect which will draw the snow through said openings, and centrifugal force combined with the direct action of the fans upon the snow will cause it to be expelled upwardly through the housings and out through the plpes provided. As said pipes are of flexible construction, and means are furnished for handling them conveniently, obviously, the snow may be discharged througlrthe pipes to either side of the plow, or be transferred to waiting vehicles for further removal, and from the side or rear, as desired.

Changes in and modifications of the constructions described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages, hence I ask that I be not confined to the specific structure set forth.

- I claim:

1. A plow for clearing streets of snow, comprising a wheeled frame, a reel, carrying a plurality of transversely extending and projecting blades, rotatably mounted in one end of the frame, an endless conveyor having its lower portion disposed rearwardly of the reel, a housing mounted on each side of the conveyor, each having an inlet adapted to receive snow from the conveyor, a snow deflector approximately in the form of a double share plow operatively disposed between the inlets, a vertically extending fan rotatably mounted in each housing, a flexible discharge pipe for snow communicating with each fan, means for actuating the reel and conveyor, and means for imparting a reverse movement to the fans.

2. A plow for clearing streets of snow, comprising a Wheeled frame, an endless conveyor'operatively mounted in the frame, a street scraper disposed adjacent to the lower end of the conveyor, a. reel, carrying a plurality of projecting blades, rotatably mounted in the frame, said reel being adapted to force snow to the-conveyor as taken up from the street by the scraper, a housing mounted on each side of the conveyor, each having an inlet for snow, a snow deflector located between the inlets adapted to, in cooperation with the conveyor. divert snow toward said inlets, a fan rotatably mounted in each housing, a flexible discharge pipe for snow secured to each housing and communicating with the adjacent fan, and means for actuating the reel, conveyor and fans.

SIDNEY B. GILLIS. 

